Big +1. Learning a lot from all of your posts, Rob! Thank you!
Going to make this SOOOOO easy for all of you.
1) Go to Amazon and buy this for $49
Amazon.com: ART DJPRE II Phono Preamplifier Dual RCA Type Inputs and Outputs Switchable Low Cut Filter: Musical Instruments
2) Buy 1 RCA (pair) to 3.5 MM plug Stereo (converts L - R to one 3.5 plug)
3) Get the FREE power sound editor here -
Free Sound Editor Software for Windows
Okay, I am ASSUMING you have an input jack on your PC sound input (aux input)
Hook your favorite table for this to the ART DJ pre - it has adjustable gain which is great...you will probably set from +2 to +4
Hook the RCA to 3.5 and the 3.5 to the AUX input on your PC
Make sure your PC has the AUX input turned on (system volume/recording control)
Open Power Sound editor
Start turntable, lower needle, hit record on the software....You are done !!! Total cost about $55 and great recording (because you are using your sound cart so the bitrate and speed is at its best)
That work ?
Quick note on PCI vs USB
USB, PCI and Firewire are just pipes going into the PC.
Only difference is PCI is a bigger pipe and could support many more channels,
usb2 tops off at about 16 (Firewire400 about 100, PCI several hundred).
USB 2.0 runs at 400Mbps (mega BITS) peer second
PCI runs at 133MBps (mega BYTES per second)
1 BYTE is 8 Bits so to compare, divide the 400 by 8 and you get 50MBps for USB or slightly higher than 1/3 of the PCI rate...that's why I always suggest PCI (sound card input) vs USB
